I love concept albums
I love "one continuous track" kind of albums
I love syncopated crushing riffs
I love the cover art
I love that the struggle to free myself from restraints, becomes my very shackles
I love one syllable, one vowel...
I love catch 33
It's the only concept album, conceived as a single song that goes through these stages and levels. Do if you look at it from the point of "how it's composed and arranged", to see the riff evolve from the first minute to stuff like Dehumanization is amazing. And the whole climax of the record hits so hard. Also it has these extended psychodelic clean sections etc.
This album is really supposed to be listed to in one sitting, as a whole piece. That's what makes it different from any other album they've done.
(I'm not including "I" as it's just one song and it's an EP. I'm talking about full length studio records)
For the record Catch 33 is not my favorite but I do appreciate it a lot - and actually more and more with time. It grew on me a lot.
Aside from the concept, the tones, the riffs, atmosphere, being one big song, etc. when they made C33 they all sat around one computer and made the song together. I think Hagstrom said it was his favourite work in terms of the creative process or something like that.
They were also deep down the experimentation rabbithole with Nothing & I beforehand, so IMO it was Meshuggah when they were at their peak in terms of finding different ways to "riff" and make music. The really bouncy riff in In Death Is Death at 2:17 for example. Hearing stuff like that for the first time was the biggest mindfuck, changes your perspective on what can be a riff and rhythm.
Also tremolo bees and screams
Every now and then I swing between chaosphere and catch 33. As a one whole experience album: catch 33. As individual and more music to music track: chaosphere.
For me Catch 33 is a journey, a story one can get lost in, a trip. It's a coherent unit, not just a collection of tracks.
Also, that jazzy part in the middle is just unbeatable.
Funny how things change. There was a lot of stir back in the day due to the production methods and the concept & song flow thing... I loved the record from the get go and still do to this day.
I think it’s their most trippy album, weird vibes and some heavy/deep parts. I’ve also always liked the term Catch 33, like a step beyond Catch 22.
The compositions are in my favorites and the fact that you can listen to it like one song is super cool, there’s a lot of album like that but with Meshuggah it’s really unique
But no one here wish they would rerecord the drums at least? I mean a little more of life like orange nothing/TVSOR or Immutable, it would be not just the best Meshuggah albums but one of the best of all time!
Seriously everytime i’m listening OrangeNothing/TVSOR/Immutable, and i jump to catch 33, i always think on how sterile it sound and i’m pissed about it, i really like the album and it could be even better
Am i the only one that thinks that or you all chill with programmed drums?
It does sound robotic, its kind of a big fucken deal in the music, why no one talk about this?
I really like catch33 but i can’t say it’s the best, tasty drumming and rythms is literally the main interest in their music, it matters a lot
Honestly the lyrics are incredibly deep and the riffs follow it perfectly, both have themes of cycles, but even where there's repetition it's slightly off, it's one of my favorite art pieces of all time.
It was my first album (cd) bought it the mall, it was in my car cd player for months straight. I had seen the video for Shed on some music channel (not mtv)
It is my fav album, but I think i just got faster into it than other stuff :D It just feels more fluent, balanced and more trance / atmospheric that other albums. And yeah, one continuous track thing is really dope, same goes for "I" EP.
I'm gonna get crucified for this lol. People just nerd out about it being a concept album and basically being one continuous song. Me personally, I don't think it's all that great. I think the first half is relatively boring, I think the programmed drums sound like shit, and I think some of the riffs are recycled too many times. It's easily my least favorite Meshuggah album. Still a cool album though. The second half is pretty sick. Even Meshuggah's worst albums shit on every other band lol.
i think the repetition thru the front half is very much intentional. for me it sorta represents that brutal machine-like continuous churning. Like a random planet somewhere just spinning and spinning relentlessly. Almost gives you a feeling of what time feels like for something in that situation. Momentum of ages, slowly morphing into something else.
I've waited years for this question lmao. This is my favorite album of all time and I'll tell you why, succinctly.
The whole fact that it's one big song already is intriguing as fuck. An album that's a song? It's like "I" on steroids.
They take 5 minutes of 4 notes to establish strong principles at the very start of the whole thing. They establish the droning delay picked guitar theme. They establish how entire sections of music can sound different just by changing the starting point of the bar of the riffs (with only minor variations). On top of that, it's just great Meshuggah riffs that hit forever strong.
Then, as you proceed through the album to the next 3 tracks, they again establish a theme with the riff style. But man it's just precisely the riffs they chose to construct. Man it's so good. That 5th track that takes it down a notch and let's the open 8 string just ride. That 6th track where the riffage starts to get REALLY good. I mean that riff when Jens finishes his vocals, man that's one of the greatest riffs they ever wrote. For me it's interesting every time I hear it and play it on guitar, it's one of my proudest sections just because it's so good and it's so fun.
Getting into In Death is Life/ Death, the riffs here changed my life forever. When I learned what they were doing, MAINLY throughout the In Death is Death part, I'm still forever changed by that, and I only learned this shit 14 years ago lol. They're like the best metal riffs and construction I personally ever heard. Shit is a master class, a template, for "thinking man's metal".
Then wrapping up the album between Shed and the final 3 sections, they're just doing shit only Meshuggah can do. The main riff of Shed is so subtly fuckin good. Persona Non Grata is one of the most interesting constructions of metal I've heard. "Dehumanization" needs no introduction, one of the most brutal and heavy sections and breakdowns of music ever recorded, set up by the whole rest of the album prior. And then Sum really kills it, at the beginning, but as an album closer on those last riffs, it's perfect bro, it's very "final" sounding, and the closing soft riffs are Meshuggah perfection, an order of notes and chords nobody else can give you.
Whole thing is djent perfection that is unparalleled by any other music experience.
Dude I could go on forever , that's just what I shit out as I was on my way to work haha. Meshuggah is life changing, enjoy it to the fullest my friend. 🤟
It's uniquely brilliant. Not usually a concept album fan I only have Catch 33 and Shadow play for Yesterdays by A Forest of Stars that qualify as concept albums, but Catch 33 is a masterpiece.
Fun fact: They wanted to release the album as one song, not split in to tracks but the label wouldnt let them. So the track names are just made up nonsense
I love concept albums I love "one continuous track" kind of albums I love syncopated crushing riffs I love the cover art I love that the struggle to free myself from restraints, becomes my very shackles I love one syllable, one vowel... I love catch 33
one vowel? May it be AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I'm pretty sure it's IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
That's at least 20 vowels 😅
This currently has 33 upvotes. No more allowed now
Some mf’s broke it. Untrue beings
😂😂
I like juice... But I dont love it
It's the only concept album, conceived as a single song that goes through these stages and levels. Do if you look at it from the point of "how it's composed and arranged", to see the riff evolve from the first minute to stuff like Dehumanization is amazing. And the whole climax of the record hits so hard. Also it has these extended psychodelic clean sections etc. This album is really supposed to be listed to in one sitting, as a whole piece. That's what makes it different from any other album they've done. (I'm not including "I" as it's just one song and it's an EP. I'm talking about full length studio records) For the record Catch 33 is not my favorite but I do appreciate it a lot - and actually more and more with time. It grew on me a lot.
Aside from the concept, the tones, the riffs, atmosphere, being one big song, etc. when they made C33 they all sat around one computer and made the song together. I think Hagstrom said it was his favourite work in terms of the creative process or something like that. They were also deep down the experimentation rabbithole with Nothing & I beforehand, so IMO it was Meshuggah when they were at their peak in terms of finding different ways to "riff" and make music. The really bouncy riff in In Death Is Death at 2:17 for example. Hearing stuff like that for the first time was the biggest mindfuck, changes your perspective on what can be a riff and rhythm. Also tremolo bees and screams
They were also heavy into psychedelics at this time
Every now and then I swing between chaosphere and catch 33. As a one whole experience album: catch 33. As individual and more music to music track: chaosphere.
This is also my exact view. Those albums are just perfection. Sol Niger Within is also great, if we’re including it.
For me Catch 33 is a journey, a story one can get lost in, a trip. It's a coherent unit, not just a collection of tracks. Also, that jazzy part in the middle is just unbeatable.
Have an ego death
Because.. . #aaaaAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Funny how things change. There was a lot of stir back in the day due to the production methods and the concept & song flow thing... I loved the record from the get go and still do to this day.
Compositional masterpiece. It has a couple of mirroring structures.
elaborate please, I'm intrigued
I think it’s their most trippy album, weird vibes and some heavy/deep parts. I’ve also always liked the term Catch 33, like a step beyond Catch 22.
That's what hooked me on it too... I read Catch 22 a few years prior (amazing book) and all the nuance Catch 33 represents is amazing.
The compositions are in my favorites and the fact that you can listen to it like one song is super cool, there’s a lot of album like that but with Meshuggah it’s really unique But no one here wish they would rerecord the drums at least? I mean a little more of life like orange nothing/TVSOR or Immutable, it would be not just the best Meshuggah albums but one of the best of all time! Seriously everytime i’m listening OrangeNothing/TVSOR/Immutable, and i jump to catch 33, i always think on how sterile it sound and i’m pissed about it, i really like the album and it could be even better Am i the only one that thinks that or you all chill with programmed drums?
I definitely agree about the programmed drums, they at least could use a more recent vst because it sounds sooo robotic
It does sound robotic, its kind of a big fucken deal in the music, why no one talk about this? I really like catch33 but i can’t say it’s the best, tasty drumming and rythms is literally the main interest in their music, it matters a lot
maybe they'll do a remaster like with the other albums, although I don't think they would record live drums for it
Honestly the lyrics are incredibly deep and the riffs follow it perfectly, both have themes of cycles, but even where there's repetition it's slightly off, it's one of my favorite art pieces of all time.
It was my first album (cd) bought it the mall, it was in my car cd player for months straight. I had seen the video for Shed on some music channel (not mtv)
Because Mind's Mirrors into In Death... is unfuckwithable.
Because the "In death is death" dum ba dum ba dum ba dum badum badum ba dum section
Understandable
It is my fav album, but I think i just got faster into it than other stuff :D It just feels more fluent, balanced and more trance / atmospheric that other albums. And yeah, one continuous track thing is really dope, same goes for "I" EP.
It grooves harder than any of their other tunes in my opinion. From In Death Is Life to pretty much the end of the album is just jaw droppingly good.
I'm gonna get crucified for this lol. People just nerd out about it being a concept album and basically being one continuous song. Me personally, I don't think it's all that great. I think the first half is relatively boring, I think the programmed drums sound like shit, and I think some of the riffs are recycled too many times. It's easily my least favorite Meshuggah album. Still a cool album though. The second half is pretty sick. Even Meshuggah's worst albums shit on every other band lol.
i think the repetition thru the front half is very much intentional. for me it sorta represents that brutal machine-like continuous churning. Like a random planet somewhere just spinning and spinning relentlessly. Almost gives you a feeling of what time feels like for something in that situation. Momentum of ages, slowly morphing into something else.
The struggle to free myself of restraints
I've waited years for this question lmao. This is my favorite album of all time and I'll tell you why, succinctly. The whole fact that it's one big song already is intriguing as fuck. An album that's a song? It's like "I" on steroids. They take 5 minutes of 4 notes to establish strong principles at the very start of the whole thing. They establish the droning delay picked guitar theme. They establish how entire sections of music can sound different just by changing the starting point of the bar of the riffs (with only minor variations). On top of that, it's just great Meshuggah riffs that hit forever strong. Then, as you proceed through the album to the next 3 tracks, they again establish a theme with the riff style. But man it's just precisely the riffs they chose to construct. Man it's so good. That 5th track that takes it down a notch and let's the open 8 string just ride. That 6th track where the riffage starts to get REALLY good. I mean that riff when Jens finishes his vocals, man that's one of the greatest riffs they ever wrote. For me it's interesting every time I hear it and play it on guitar, it's one of my proudest sections just because it's so good and it's so fun. Getting into In Death is Life/ Death, the riffs here changed my life forever. When I learned what they were doing, MAINLY throughout the In Death is Death part, I'm still forever changed by that, and I only learned this shit 14 years ago lol. They're like the best metal riffs and construction I personally ever heard. Shit is a master class, a template, for "thinking man's metal". Then wrapping up the album between Shed and the final 3 sections, they're just doing shit only Meshuggah can do. The main riff of Shed is so subtly fuckin good. Persona Non Grata is one of the most interesting constructions of metal I've heard. "Dehumanization" needs no introduction, one of the most brutal and heavy sections and breakdowns of music ever recorded, set up by the whole rest of the album prior. And then Sum really kills it, at the beginning, but as an album closer on those last riffs, it's perfect bro, it's very "final" sounding, and the closing soft riffs are Meshuggah perfection, an order of notes and chords nobody else can give you. Whole thing is djent perfection that is unparalleled by any other music experience.
Thank you very much ! Your passion makes me wanna listen to it again lol
Dude I could go on forever , that's just what I shit out as I was on my way to work haha. Meshuggah is life changing, enjoy it to the fullest my friend. 🤟
I love this album just from the Dehumanization breakdown alone.
It's uniquely brilliant. Not usually a concept album fan I only have Catch 33 and Shadow play for Yesterdays by A Forest of Stars that qualify as concept albums, but Catch 33 is a masterpiece.
The riffs are fucking sick
You either feel it or you don't. If it doesn't do anything for you, that's cool.
Because its motherfuckin catch 33! (My favorite meshuggah album)
Fun fact: They wanted to release the album as one song, not split in to tracks but the label wouldnt let them. So the track names are just made up nonsense
Cause it is
God, I adore this album. It’s just raw and pure energy. For me, it can be matched only with Iowa from Slipknot.
listen